Life belt or preserver.



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D MMM/T60 ATTUHNEYS Y PATENTED 00T. 9, 1906. P. C. PETRIE n H. L. DESANGES.

LIFE BELT 0R PRESERVER. APPLIGATION rlLBD FEB.21.1906.

, person of the wearer.

UNTTED STATES PATENT OEEiOE.

PETER CONRAD PETRIE AND HENRY LOUIS DES ANGES, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

LIFE BELT OR PRESERVER.

Speccation of Letters Patent.

Patented oet. 9, 1906.

Application filed February 2l, 1906. `Serial No. 302,192.

lof New York, Long Island city, borough of Queens, 'in the county ofQueens and State of New York, have invented a new and Iniproved LifeBelt or Preserver, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

The invention relates to a life preserver or belt, the buoyant propertyof which is derived from a number of blocks of light buoyant material.The material which we employ is preferably the Wood Palo de balsa,

which grows in South America, although our invention is in no senselimited to this material.

Cork life-preservers are commonly constructed of sections or blocks withcanvas casing or covering, which serves to hold the sec- .tions togetherand to which straps are fastened facilitating fitting the life-preserverto the Such life-preservers are found to be distinctly disadvantageousin .that the canvas covering when exposed to thel weather rapidlydeteriorates and the lifepreserver becomes useless. n

Our invention seeks primarily to overcome this objection, and in sodoing the separate blocks of buoyant material are secured together bymeans of a flexible wire cord, composed of a number of small wires,preferably of non-corrosive material, which is passed? through openingsin the blocks, securely yet flexibly connecting them. When securingA thecork, balsa wood, and like material' in this manner, difficulty isexperienced in preventing the soft cork or balsa wood from tearing orbreaking away bythe strain of the wire, and we overcome thisdisadvantage by placing a bushing or ferrule in the opening of the corkor balsa-wood block, through which the wire passes, this bushing orferrule being of tough strong material-Such for instance, as hardrubber, bamboo wood, or'aluminiurn-and serving to prevent injuring thebuoyant blocks. i

It is also an obj ect to render as nearly indestructible as possible thetapes or straps which are employed to fasten the belt around .the wearerand supportthe belt on the shoulders of the wearer. To this end weconstruct the straps of a fabric formed partly of cotton or other yarn,but into which, however, is woven a certain amount of fine copper orother equivalent wire. This forms a combination metallic and cottonfabric, which is sufliciently flexible to permit its free movement, thestrength of which is increased and which, not depending upon the cottonfor its entire strength, is therefore not affected by mildew or rottingof the cotton fabric.

Our invention also involves certain improvements in the manner offastening together the buoyant blocks and of joining thereto theshoulder-straps and belt, insuring a cheap yet an extremely-durable andeasily- Vapplied life-preserver.

With these and other objects in viewy our invention resides in certainspecial features of construction and combinations of parts which will befully set forth hereinafter, and particularly pointed out in the'claims.y

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate asan example the preferred embodiment of our invention, in which- Figuie 1is a perspective view of the preferred form of our life-belt. Fig. 2 isaview of the same spread out with one of the buoyant blocks in section.Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. A is a section onthe line 4 4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a view showing a modification of themanner of fastening the belt or waist strap. Fig. 6 is a detail view ofanother form of life-preserver, showing the application thereto of ourcombined cotton and wire fabric, and Fig. 7 is a spread-out view of thelife-'preserver shown in Fig. 6.

Referring especially4 to Figs. 1 to 4, 10 indicates the buoyant blocks,which are refverably of the wood Palo de balsa. hese blocks are arrangedside by side to form a belt adapted to encircle the waist of Athe wearerin the usual manner. Each block is provided in its end portionwithpassages exwire of the life-preserver. `A bight ,ofv this` wire runsalong the outer edge of one of the end' IOO blocks of the group ofblocks 10, while the ends ofthe wire extend along the outer end of theopposite end block, joined together by a splice, tie, orother connection'14. (See Fig. 2.) Two shoulder-straps 15 are employed, which cross eachother in the usual manner and have at their ends loops 16. These loopsare engaged between various of the blocks 1() and are formed with eyes17, which receive, respectively, the runs 12 of the binding-wire.

The shoulder-straps are formed of a combination of fibrous material andmetallic threads woven together to form a fabric. In

this fabric the wires should 'be of considerable fineness so as to givethe straps full flexibility.

18 indicates the waist strap or belt. This passes around the outer sidesof the blocks and is also constructed of a composition of fibrousmaterial and wire. Said strap or belt 18, as shown in Fig. 1, is turnedin between certain of the blocks 10 to engage parts of the loops 16 ofthe shoulder-straps, as indicated at 19 in Figs. 1, 3, and 4. Thisfirmly connects the intermediate portions of the belt or strap 18 withthe remainder of the lifepreserver, and the end portions of the strapsare turned under the ends of the wire 12, as indicated at 20 thussecuring the strap to the lend blocks 11.

The balsa-blocks 10 are rendered fire and water proof by the applicationof a suitable composition, and the freproof character of thelife-preserver is increased by the manner in which the straps 15 and 18are formed. It will be seen that the ends of the shoulderstraps arelooped and projected down between the adjacent blocks to engagetie-wires which hold the blocks in place.

preserver around the wearer is secured by the inwardly-bent portions 19,which engage iny the bights or loops 16 of the strap 15, and the endportions of which are tucked under the` 'end portion of thebinding-wire.

Fig. 5 shows a possible modification inl which the belt or strap 18 iswoven in and out between the blocks 10 instead of being engaged with theshoulder-straps between theblocks.

Figs. v( and 7 showthe application of our improved fabric to life-beltsof that pattern which drop like a skirt over the head and shoulders ofthe wearer. This material is indicated at 21 in the drawings and is, asbefore explained, constructed partly of fibrous material and partly offine copper or other wires.

Further, it I will be seen that the belt which binds the life- Thelife-preserver, constructed as it preferably is of balsa woodv andtreated lto render it fireproof and waterproof, is thoroughly durableand serviceable. The peculiar manner of forming the straps renders themalmost indestructible, not only by fire, but by exposure to the weather.By extending the ends of the straps down between the buoyant blocks andconnecting them with the bindingwires a secure construction isproduced,while the manner of fastening the belt-strap to thelife-preserver, as explained, insures retaining the strap in positionand enabling it -to be readily grasped and tied by the user.

The manner of using the life-preserver will, it is thought, be apparentto all persons. A detailed description is not thought necessary. Havingthus described the preferred form of our invention, what weactuallyclaim, and desire to-secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A life-preserver constructed of a number of separate blocks ofbuoyant material, ferrules' or bushings inserted into said blocks andconstructed of material harder than that of said blocks, and a meanspassing through said ferrules for binding the blocks together.

2. A life-preserver constructed of a number of separate blocks ofbuoyant material,

f ferrules or bushings inserted into said blocks and constructed .ofmaterial harder than that of said blocks, and a binding-wire lpassingthrough the ferrule to hold the blocks together.

3. A life-preserver constructed of a number of separate buoyant blocks,a wire binding comprising two runs extending through the blocks, saidruns being joined together at the ends of the life-preserver, and abelt-strap extending around the life-preserver and having its endportions passing between the end blocks and the joined wires, asdescribed.

4. A life-preserver formed of a number of separate blocks of buoyantmaterial, binding means extending through the blocks to vjoin themtogether, and `shoulder-straps having their ends extending betweencertain of the blocks and looped about said binding means.

5. A life-preserver formed of a number 4of separate blocks of buoyantmaterial, binding means extending through the vblocks to foin themtogether, shoulder-straps having t eir ends extending between certain ofthe blocks and connected with said `binding means, and a belt-strapextending around the blocks and having portions intermediate its endsengaged with said end portions of the shoulder-straps.

6'. A life-preserver comprising a number of blocks of buoyant material,a binding for joining said blocks together, said binding comprisingtworuns extending through the blocks and parts connecting the ends of theruns outside ofthe end blocks, shoulder-'straps having looped endportions extending between certain of the blocks and engaging IOO IIO

with said binding means, and a belt-strap eX- In testimony whereof wehave signed our tending over the blocks and having portions names tothis specification in the presence of 1o intermediate its ends run inbetween the two subscribing witnesses.

blocks and engaged with the end portions of PETER CONRAD PETRIE. theshoulder-straps, the end portions of the HENRY LOUIS DES ANGES.belt-strap being passed inside of the said Witnesses:

means for joining together the ends of the HARRY CEAS. MEYER,

two runs of the binding. HERBERT Jos. MILLER.

